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Friday, June 28, 2013

Via its official blog, Carl Zeiss has announced that it "will... label its lenses differently: Carl Zeiss will become ZEISS." Throughout its long history, Carl Zeiss has used various labels on its lenses. From the 1920s, the moniker "Carl Zeiss Jena" would appear on a variety of its products. After WW2, some of the company's employees established a new factory in Oberkochen, West Germany, and adopted a new label with the inscription "Carl Zeiss," while the East German factory located in Jena continued to brand its products "Carl Zeiss Jena." After several, often long-winded international lawsuits, the West German factory dropped the founder's first name, Carl, from its logo; while in the US - where the Oberkochen-based company was granted exclusive use of the name "Carl Zeiss" - the East German factory's produts were relabelled "aus Jena." The reunification of Germany brought about a merger of the two Zeiss firms, and a new company logo was created - but the branding of the photographic lenses continued to differ from that of the firm's other products (such as eyeglasses and microscopes). Now the company decided that it will use only the ZEISS logo on the front ring of its lenses. "The changeover for the lenses will take place at the family level: existing lens families will not be changed after-the-fact, but future families will be labelled with ZEISS," the company said in a statement. "The first family to introduce this change is the ZEISS Touit lenses."

The third issue of the recently revived English/French language Camera magazine will be available from 4th July. This edition showcases a portfolio of photographs taken by the up-and-coming American photographer Brea Souders. “She speaks a poignant, sophisticated yet lovely language throughout the images which completely feels original and personal," says South-Korean artist Ina Jang, whose work is also featured in the magazine. The 76-page magazine is available in print form, priced at €9.00 (or €12.50 including shipping if purchased online). You can order your copy through the website below, starting 4th July.

Kenro is offering photographers an exclusive deal when purchasing the Nissin MG8000 Extreme Flash Gun together with the PS 8 Power Pack. Compatible with the E-TTL, E-TTL II (Canon) and i-TTL (Nikon) systems, the Nissin MG8000 Extreme features the world's highest "Machine Gun" strobe, and boasts an impressive recycle time of just three seconds for the first 200 shots, and then five to seven seconds for subsequent frames. The Nissin PS 8 Power Pack (pictured) features a redesigned core circuit that reduces the heat produced, and an exclusive battery cartridge design, which greatly increases the battery capability whilst also helping to decrease its overall weight to 761 grams. The Nissin MG 8000 and PS 8 Power Pack bundle deal is available now and has a suggested retail price of £570 (incl VAT), in comparison to an SRP of £621 combined (incl VAT) when purchasing both items separately.

Olympus have just released update 2.0 for their image sharing app OI.Share. The free app allows images taken on a compatible Olympus camera (using a FlashAir memory card) to be shared without the need for cables or waiting until you get home and in front of a PC. More importantly, OI.Share gives forthcoming owners of the new PEN E-P5 the ability to control the camera wirelessly using the PEN's built-in Wi-Fi. Version 2.0 makes the app available to Android users.

TeoreX has updated its Batch Inpaint software to Version 2.0. This application allows removing or retouching undesirable objects pretty much like its flagship cousin Inpaint does, and offers means to process multiple photos at once. Version 2.0 features a whole new look with a simpler and more accessible interface. Batch Inpaint 2.0 also features several new selection tools (Lasso, Polygonal Lasso, Magic Wand), and provides better overall stability and improved performance. Available for Windows XP or higher and for Max OS X 10.7 or higher, Batch Inpaint 2.0 sells for $19.99.

The Photographer’s Guide to the Canon PowerShot S110: Getting the Most from Canon’s Pocketable Digital Camera is a new title from White Knight Press. This guide book explains all operations, features, menus, and controls of the Canon PowerShot S110 camera, providing information about how to accomplish things with the camera as well as when and why to use certain features. More than 300 photographs, almost all in full color, illustrate the camera’s controls and menus and include examples of the photographs that can be taken using the S110’s many options. In addition, the book goes beyond the realm of everyday photography with introductions to topics such as infrared photography, street photography, and using the raw format. The book is available as a 411-page paperback for $24.95, and as an e-book priced at $9.99.

Manfrotto and Gitzo have just launched a new promotion offering birdwatchers the chance to improve their arsenal of birding kit. Running until 31st August 2013, this new offer enables any UK resident to get 5% off the purchase of selected Gitzo and Manfrotto birdwatching supports, plus free shipping. There are no restrictions on the number of purchases per customer, but the offer cannot be combined with any other online promotions. For more information, visit one of the websites below.

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Panasonic has unveiled a new version of its Lumix G 20mm f/1.7 "pancake" lens. Comprising seven elements in five groups, the Panasonic Lumix G 20mm f/1.7 II ASPH uses two aspherical elements to minimise both distortion and chromatic aberrations and comes with an iris diaphragm with 7 rounded blades. According to the company, the new lens "supports Contrast AF system for high precision auto focusing," although it's unclear if the focusing speed has been improved since the previous iteration. The main novelty seems to be the "newly designed metallic profile" of the lens. The new addition will be available from 29th July 2013, priced at around £350.

Want to see exactly what the new Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II expert compact camera looks like in the flesh?

Check out our extensive hands-on gallery of photos of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II compact camera, including a side-by-side comparison with the RX100 model, and with the optional electronic viewfinder fitted.